As Mother’s Day approaches, a new novel aims to reframe one of the women who helped shape America, as more than just a wife and mother.
New York Times bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, both known for bringing early American women to life via historical fiction, have written an intimate portrait of Abigail Adams for their newest book, “A Founding Mother.”
According to Kamoie, so much about Abigail is admirable. “She was noble of spirit. She had a strong moral compass," she said. “She had a strong mind, a strong personality, and a certain fearlessness. She was a caring, protective mother and a loyal, dependable friend.”
Dray and Kamoie position Adams – wife of President John Adams and mother of President John Quincy Adams – at the center of her own narrative in their latest collaboration.
“Abigail was both a founding mother and a mother, and for her, those things were inseparable,” said Dray. “She didn't just believe that she had to raise her children and keep them fed and educated. She believed that she also had to do something better. And that is what made her a great mother.”
While researching Abigail’s history, Dray said they didn't expect to find such a modern heroine.
“We found out that at the end of her life she made a will,” she said. “She left all the money that she had earned, which was quite substantial, only to women to help give them some independence.”
Kamoie echoed that sentiment and said Abigail’s story is shockingly relevant to our world today. “She was struggling with many of the same political, economic, and family challenges that we struggle with now,” she said. And she speaks to us in a surprisingly modern way.”
According to Kamoie, their focus on the American Revolutionary era began with their first novel, “America’s First Daughter.” Despite their deep experience writing about historical figures, they were initially shy of writing about Abigail Adams. “We’re both huge fans of the HBO Miniseries ‘John Adams’ and we greatly admire Laura Linney’s portrayal of Abigail,” said Kamoie.
She said because much of Abigail’s story is left out of the show, they wanted to highlight her importance. Abigail and John “spend more than twelve years of their marriage separated, making Abigail nearly a single mother through a large part of their children’s lives,” said Kamoie. “That inspired us to want to tell her story–and it seemed the perfect one to publish as we head into the America 250 anniversary.”
Dray said Yorktown is a natural place for the authors to visit, as “New York saw so much action in the Revolutionary War.”
Dray added that “Yorktown was incorporated under that name specifically to commemorate the battle in Virginia that ended in victory for a new United States,” said Dray. “The people here felt a great kinship with the war for Independence, and Abigail Adams would be thrilled to know she's being celebrated here by the community in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence."
Additionally, according to Kamoie, following their marriage in 1786, the Adamses’ eldest daughter, Nabby, settled in Westchester County with her husband, Colonel William Stephens Smith. Their house was on the road to Westchester Square in what was then the town of Eastchester, near St. Paul’s Church National Historic Site.
And who would visit the Stephens family, while they resided in Westchester?
John and Abigail Adams.
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